The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon, rebounding to claim a 125-103 win. The entire team came out to play, with Portland players taking turns scoring quarter by quarter. At different times, Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant took over the offense, all with great success. Portland’s rebounding remained excellent throughout and helped the defense score.

Grant led the team with 28 points and added 4 blocks. Simons contributed 27. The Blazers now have a record of 1-2 in the young season.

Here are the factors that influenced the game.

attack

Too often this season, Portland’s offense resembled a 1999 Ford Fiesta: lots of noise, little actual production. A smooth first third tonight revealed the weakness. The Blazers shot well from beyond the arc and even got the ball on goal, but it was only 26 total points and a 1-point lead.

However, they broke the curse in the final periods, scoring 33 points in the second period, 34 points in the third period and 32 points in the fourth period. These strong quarters helped the defense make a real difference rather than setting the table for disappointment. Portland is defending better this year, but they won’t be able to hold their opponents under 100. They need 30-point periods to create enough cushion to win.

three

Three points is often a problem for Portland, but they did credibly well today, which is a big factor in them staying in the game. The Blazers shot 14-35, 40%, outscoring the woeful Pelicans, who shot just 8-29, 27.6%. That’s a big deal when it happens.

Toumani Camara looks extremely confident and smooth with his three-point shot. Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons take it on without hesitation, whether it’s catching and shooting or dribbling. It looks like Portland has stepped up their game in the Arc offense. Let’s see how that works.

Simons shot 5-10 from distance tonight, Camara 2-3. But if Ayton and Henderson beat them? They know things are going well for Portland.

Rim shots

If Portland players could score on their close-range shots on drives, they would probably gain 10 points per game. Time and time again, players like Scoot Henderson, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan rolled shots over the rim that looked almost certain. Admittedly the attempts come in traffic, but it’s frustrating to watch players get enough distance to get a clean shot at the rim only for it to slide sideways or drip off the edge of the bucket. Given the choice, a three-pointer is better than a close shot, but the goal is to hit both.

rebounds

The Blazers outrebounded the Pelicans 51-39 tonight, no small feat against a similarly sized team. The perimeter work not only limited New Orleans’ second shots, but also helped the Blazers keep the tempo under control. The Pelicans simply couldn’t create shots fast enough to come back.

Two-person center

Some of that board control came courtesy of Ayton and his deputy, Donovan Clingan. Each of them had a half-dozen offensive rebounds. That’s not an exaggeration. They literally got 6 each. That’s a huge number for one player, let alone two. Clingan in particular used his body to eat up space in the alley. He seems to grow a little with every game. Portland fans have to love the guy.

Scoot

Scoot Henderson scored 9 points tonight. shot just 2-12 from the field. He had 7 assists but 4 turnovers. This statistic shows 2023 more than 2024. But here’s the bright part. The newbie is definitely past his baby stage and is ready for pull-ups. Henderson’s bread and butter comes in the lane, but he occasionally peppers the jump shot off the dribble. The shots look good too. Imagine how devastating that pull-up jumper can be for a guy who drives fast and is constantly in danger of getting to the rim. He will have opponents on guard if he can perfect it.

Zion quiet

Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson had just 14 points on 3-12 shooting tonight. Even better. he only grabbed 3 rebounds. That was also half of the total offensive Rebounds for Portland’s center. These big boys deserve major credit for defusing New Orleans’ biggest threat.

Quick breaks

Portland scored a whopping 19 points at the break and fulfilled their wildest wishes with the burst of speed. They also forced 17 turnovers, which helped them on the run. Yes.

Next

Box score

Portland travels to Sacramento to take on the Kings tomorrow night, with a Pacific tipoff of 7 p.m.